Fire-escape



1. BUGKMAN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 23, 1883. Fi 1. F

INVENTUR: l-RA BUUKMAN, BY small tf'Q.

WITNESSES:

NirElD STATES Fries. I

PATENT FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,228, dated October23, 1883 Application filed February 14, 1883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA BUOKMAN, of Brook- 'lyn, county of Kings, andState of New York,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to that class of fireeseapes which are providedwith elastic or yielding surfaces for receiving persons jumping orfalling from burning buildings; and it consists. mainly, first, in thecombination, with a truck having pivoted axles at each end, of aframe-work supporting an elastic or yielding surface; and, second, inthe combination, with an elastic surface, of certain air-cylindersadapted to prevent rebound.

It consists, further, in certain details of con- 'struction, which, inconnection with the foregoing, will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figurel represents atransverse sectional view of myinvention; Fig. 2, a partial plan View, partly broken away; Fig. 3, aside elevation of one of the air-cylinders detached, and Fig. 4 avertical sectional elevation and plan of the same.

To enable others skilled in the art to make my invention and properlyuse the same, I

trally located upon the frame of the machine,

will now proceed to describe fully its construction and the manner ofemploying the same.

A represents a truck, which may be constructed, generally, in any propermanner, but is essentially provided at each end with pivoted axles, likethose upon the ordinary hookand-ladder truck. I

B represents a frame supported directly upon the truck, or indirectly bymeans of an intermediate frame-work, as shown, which frame-work mayconsist of two or more 1011- gitudinal beams united by a number ofcrossbeams in any. proper manner.

0 0 represent leaf-springs, each of which is provided with aright-angled base, 0, by means of which and a proper clip-iron thespring is strongly secured to the end of the crossbeam of the frame.

0 represents an eye which is formed at the upper end of the outer, leafof each spring, for the purpose of holding the steel rod D, here- (Nomodel.)

inafter referred to. .Aseries of these springs is located upon each sideof the frame-work and upon each end of the same, the members of theseries upon the side being located close together, and those upon theend at a little distance apart.

D represents a steel rod or steel rope extending through eyes upon eachside and upon each end of the frame.

E represents a strong netting or canvas, such as is used under acrobatsand trapeze performers in circuses and theaters, which is stronglysecured at its edges to the rod D in any proper manner.

F represents a loosely-packed curled-hair mattress upon the netting orcanvas, which is suitably secured to the mattress below and to the rodby any proper means. This is made as nearly air-tight aspossible, and isprovided on each sidewith one or more inflating-tubes, ff, having properstop-cocks, as shown.

G represents a ti ghtly-packed hair mattress, properly secured to thenetting or canvas above and to the steel rod D by any suitable means.

H represents one of a series of slats located below the mattress, eitherin close proximity thereto or removed at a little distance therefrom,each slat of which is supported at its ends by rigid standards h, asshown.

.1 represents one of a series of standards cenwhich is provided withproper bearings for supporting the trunnions of the air-cylinder i, asshown.

i represents the piston of the cylinder, the upper end of which issecured to the slat H above it in any proper manner.

1' 1? represent openings in the cylinder lo cated in the piston-head, asshown.

J J represent ways upon the truck,-by means of which the entiresuperstructure of the ma chine may be given a lateral movement in eitherdirection, within certain limits, when desired.

This machine may be made of any proper dimension-say ten by twenty feet,or twenty by twenty-according to the circumstances of the place Where itis "to be used.

The operation is substantially as follows: One or more of thesemachines, constructed in the manner described, having been supplied tothe fire department, the same is drawn yielding by the air-cylindersi t.

rapidly to the fire by a horse or horses when an alarm is sounded. If anoccasion arises for its use, the machine is adjusted in the preciseposition required, the pivoted axles at each end permitting any desiredmovement to be quickly and accurately made. men in charge of the machineobserves that a person jumping has miscalculated the distance, and isabout to fall upon the edge of the machine, the entire superstructuremay be swung to one side a certain distance for the purpose of avoidingthis result. The weight of the person falling is first received by theupper surface, which is made yielding by the leaf-springs O C, and then,if the distance is great, by the lower surface, which is made Thepistons of the cylinders are permitted to descend without resistancewhen the weight is brought to bear upon them by the escape of the airthrough the opening in thepiston-head. The rebound of the yieldingsurfaces after the same have been depressed, however, is checked by thepistons of the air-cylinders, which are held against rapid upwardmovement by the gradual escape of the air through the openings in thepiston-head.

Some of the advantages of the described construction are as follows: Bycombining a yielding surface with a truck having pivoted axles at eachend, a fire-escape is obtained which is capable of accurate and rapidadjustment relative to the burning building. By the employment of anupper and lower yielding surface in the manner described, a graduallyincreasing power of resistance is obtained as the weight is increased.By the use of the air-cylinders an injurious rebound of the elasticsurfaces is effectually prevented.

are controlled by the pistons of the air-cylinders.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

, 1. In combination with a truck having pivoted axles at each end, aframe-work supporting an elastic or yielding surface, sub stantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with a yielding surface,

air-cylinders, substantially as described, adapt ed to prevent therebound of the elastic surface.

3. In combination with a netting and mattress, the series ofleaf-springs O O, as described.

4. The machine described, consisting of the framework supported upon atruck, the leafsprings, the netting, the upper and lower mattresses, theslats, and air-cylinders, as described.

5. In combination with a frame-work mounted upon wheels, the ellipticalleaf-springs O O, supporting thesurface for receiving the per- Sonjumping.

This specification signed and witnessed this 9th dayof February, 1883.

' IRA BUGKMAN.

\Vitness'es:

JOHN FELLows,

E. MCNAMARA.

